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Zhang X, Dalsgaard B, Staab M, Zhu C, Zhao Y, Gonçalves F, Ren P, Cai C, Qiao G, Ding P, Si X. Habitat fragmentation increases specialization of multi-trophic interactions by high species turnover. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231372. [PMID: 37876189 PMCID: PMC10598433 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation is altering species interactions worldwide. However, the mechanisms underlying the response of network specialization to habitat fragmentation remain unknown, especially for multi-trophic interactions. We here collected a large dataset consisting of 2670 observations of tri-trophic interactions among plants, sap-sucking aphids and honeydew-collecting ants on 18 forested islands in the Thousand Island Lake, China. For each island, we constructed an antagonistic plant-aphid and a mutualistic aphid-ant network, and tested how network specialization varied with island area and isolation. We found that both networks exhibited higher specialization on smaller islands, while only aphid-ant networks had increased specialization on more isolated islands. Variations in network specialization among islands was primarily driven by species turnover, which was interlinked across trophic levels as fragmentation increased the specialization of both antagonistic and mutualistic networks through bottom-up effects via plant and aphid communities. These findings reveal that species on small and isolated islands display higher specialization mainly due to effects of fragmentation on species turnover, with behavioural changes causing interaction rewiring playing only a minor role. Our study highlights the significance of adopting a multi-trophic perspective when exploring patterns and processes in structuring ecological networks in fragmented landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, People's Republic of China
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Bo Dalsgaard
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Michael Staab
- Technical University Darmstadt, Ecological Networks, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Chen Zhu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, People's Republic of China
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Yuhao Zhao
- Zhejiang Zhoushan Archipelago Observation and Research Station, Institute of Eco-Chongming, Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, People's Republic of China
| | - Fernando Gonçalves
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Peng Ren
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, People's Republic of China
| | - Chang Cai
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, People's Republic of China
| | - Gexia Qiao
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Ping Ding
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, People's Republic of China
| | - Xingfeng Si
- Zhejiang Zhoushan Archipelago Observation and Research Station, Institute of Eco-Chongming, Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, People's Republic of China
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Parmentier T. Differential transport of a guild of mutualistic root aphids by the ant Lasius flavus. Curr Zool 2023; 69:409-417. [PMID: 37614922 PMCID: PMC10443613 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutually beneficial associations are widespread in ecological networks. They are typically assembled as multispecies guilds of symbionts that compete for one or more host species. The ant Lasius flavus engages in an intriguing and obligate mutualistic association with a community of aphids that are cultivated on plant roots in its nests. The ant displays a repertoire of amicable behaviors toward the aphids, including their transport. I examined whether L. flavus preferentially carried some of the root aphids. Using a no-choice and a choice experiment, I comparatively analyzed the transport rate of 5 obligate and one loosely associated species back to the ant nest and used the transport rate of the ant larvae as a reference. All associated root aphids were carried back to the nest, but in a clear preferential hierarchy. Geoica utricularia, Forda Formicaria, and Trama rara were rapidly transported, but slower than the own larvae. Tetraneura ulmi and Geoica setulosa were collected at a moderate rate and the loosely associated Aploneura lentisci was slowly retrieved. In contrast, different species of unassociated aphids were not transported and even provoked aggressive behavior in L. flavus. This study revealed that co-occurring symbionts may induce different degrees of host attraction, which ultimately may affect the coexistence and assembly of ant-symbiont communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Parmentier
- Research Unit of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Namur Institute of Complex Systems, and Institute of Life, Earth, and the Environment, University of Namur, Rue de Bruxelles 61, B-5000 Namur, Belgium
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit (TEREC), Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
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3
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Composition, structure and robustness of Lichen guilds. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3295. [PMID: 36841885 PMCID: PMC9968342 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30357-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Symbiosis is a major engine of evolutionary innovation underlying many extant complex organisms. Lichens are a paradigmatic example that offers a unique perspective on the role of symbiosis in ecological success and evolutionary diversification. Lichen studies have produced a wealth of information regarding the importance of symbiosis, but they frequently focus on a few species, limiting our understanding of large-scale phenomena such as guilds. Guilds are groupings of lichens that assist each other's proliferation and are intimately linked by a shared set of photobionts, constituting an extensive network of relationships. To characterize the network of lichen symbionts, we used a large data set ([Formula: see text] publications) of natural photobiont-mycobiont associations. The entire lichen network was found to be modular, but this organization does not directly match taxonomic information in the data set, prompting a reconsideration of lichen guild structure and composition. The multiscale nature of this network reveals that the major lichen guilds are better represented as clusters with several substructures rather than as monolithic communities. Heterogeneous guild structure fosters robustness, with keystone species functioning as bridges between guilds and whose extinction would endanger global stability.
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Faal H, Meier LR, Canlas IJ, Murman K, Wallace M, Carrillo D, Cooperband MF. Volatiles from male honeydew excretions attract conspecific male spotted lanternflies, Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae). FRONTIERS IN INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 2:982965. [PMID: 38468787 PMCID: PMC10926466 DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2022.982965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
The spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae), is a generalist phloem feeder that produces copious amounts of honeydew, which in turn coats the understory. These insects form large aggregations covering the trunks of some trees, while similar trees nearby mysteriously seem unattractive. We investigated whether volatiles from SLF honeydew are attractive to conspecifics by collecting honeydew from the field and testing it for SLF attraction in a two-choice olfactometer. We found that honeydew excreted by adult male SLF was significantly attractive to male SLF, but not female SLF. Although the honeydew excreted by adult female SLF did not significantly attract male or female SLF, both sexes showed a positive trend towards attraction in response to female honeydew in the olfactometer. Analysis of the headspace volatiles of honeydew was conducted, and numerous semiochemicals were identified. Five of which, 2-heptanone, 2-octanone, 2-nonanone, benzyl acetate, and 1-nonanol, were tested in two-choice behavioral assays against a blank control. Benzyl acetate and 2-octanone were attractive to both sexes, whereas 2-heptanone was only attractive to males, and 2-nonanone only to females. The remaining compound, 1-nonanol, repelled females, but not males. Although honeydew has been reported as a source of kairomones for some natural enemies, this may be the first report of sex-specific attractants for conspecific insects found in the honeydew volatiles of a planthopper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hajar Faal
- Forest Pest Methods Laboratory, USDA‐APHIS‐PPQ‐S&T, Buzzards Bay, MA, United States
- Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Homestead, FL, United States
| | - Linnea R. Meier
- Forest Pest Methods Laboratory, USDA‐APHIS‐PPQ‐S&T, Buzzards Bay, MA, United States
- Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Homestead, FL, United States
| | - Isaiah J. Canlas
- Forest Pest Methods Laboratory, USDA‐APHIS‐PPQ‐S&T, Buzzards Bay, MA, United States
| | - Kelly Murman
- Forest Pest Methods Laboratory, USDA‐APHIS‐PPQ‐S&T, Buzzards Bay, MA, United States
| | - Matthew Wallace
- Biology Department, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA, United States
| | - Daniel Carrillo
- Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Homestead, FL, United States
| | - Miriam F. Cooperband
- Forest Pest Methods Laboratory, USDA‐APHIS‐PPQ‐S&T, Buzzards Bay, MA, United States
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5
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Ivens ABF, Kronauer DJC. Aphid-farming ants. Curr Biol 2022; 32:R813-R817. [PMID: 35944477 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Ivens and Kronauer provide an overview of the farming mutualism between ants and aphids, in which ants protect aphids in exchange for food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aniek B F Ivens
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Daniel J C Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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6
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Newbury A, Dawson B, Klümper U, Hesse E, Castledine M, Fontaine C, Buckling A, Sanders D. Fitness effects of plasmids shape the structure of bacteria-plasmid interaction networks. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2118361119. [PMID: 35613058 PMCID: PMC9295774 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2118361119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes are often carried on broad host range plasmids, and the spread of AMR within microbial communities will therefore depend on the structure of bacteria–plasmid networks. Empirical and theoretical studies of ecological interaction networks suggest that network structure differs between communities that are predominantly mutualistic versus antagonistic, with the former showing more generalized interactions (i.e., species interact with many others to a similar extent). This suggests that mutualistic bacteria–plasmid networks—where antibiotics are present and plasmids carry AMR genes—will be more generalized than antagonistic interactions, where plasmids do not confer benefits to their hosts. We first develop a simple theory to explain this link: fitness benefits of harboring a mutualistic symbiont promote the spread of the symbiont to other species. We find support for this theory using an experimental bacteria–symbiont (plasmid) community, where the same plasmid can be mutualistic or antagonistic depending on the presence of antibiotics. This short-term and parsimonious mechanism complements a longer-term mechanism (coevolution and stability) explaining the link between mutualistic and antagonistic interactions and network structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Newbury
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| | - Beth Dawson
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| | - Uli Klümper
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
- Institute for Hydrobiology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Elze Hesse
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| | - Meaghan Castledine
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| | - Colin Fontaine
- Centre d’écologie et des Sciences de la Conservation, CESCO, UMR7204, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Angus Buckling
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| | - Dirk Sanders
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
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7
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Abstract
In between Earth's poles, ants exert impacts on other biota that are unmatched by most animal clades. Through their interactions with animals, plants, fungi and microbes, ants have cultivated - or succumbed to - relationships ranging from metabolic mutualisms to exploitation by social parasites. The diversity of these relationships implies that ants are keystone taxa in many habitats, directly or indirectly supporting a menagerie of other species. Yet, beyond these interactions is a less obvious but arguably as significant impact: through their collective ecological pressure, ants have imposed survivorship bias on the species that we observe inhabiting terrestrial environments. If life on land has passed through an ant-shaped selective filter, it is imperative we understand how these insects have sculpted ecological communities and are enmeshed within them. Here, we describe how ants have shaped biodiversity, and the often-devastating consequences of humanity's impact on these social insects.
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von Beeren C, Blüthgen N, Hoenle PO, Pohl S, Brückner A, Tishechkin AK, Maruyama M, Brown BV, Hash JM, Hall WE, Kronauer DJC. A remarkable legion of guests: Diversity and host specificity of army ant symbionts. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:5229-5246. [PMID: 34406688 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Tropical rainforests are among the most diverse biomes on Earth. While species inventories are far from complete for any tropical rainforest, even less is known about the intricate species interactions that form the basis of these ecological communities. One fascinating but poorly studied example are the symbiotic associations between army ants and their rich assemblages of parasitic arthropod guests. Hundreds of these guests, or myrmecophiles, have been taxonomically described. However, because previous work has mainly been based on haphazard collections from disjunct populations, it remains challenging to define species boundaries. We therefore know little about the species richness, abundance and host specificity of most guests in any given population, which is crucial to understand co-evolutionary and ecological dynamics. Here, we report a quantitative community survey of myrmecophiles parasitizing the six sympatric Eciton army ant species in a Costa Rican rainforest. Combining DNA barcoding with morphological identification of over 2,000 specimens, we discovered 62 species, including 49 beetles, 11 flies, one millipede and one silverfish. At least 14 of these species were new to science. Ecological network analysis revealed a clear signal of host partitioning, and each Eciton species was host to both specialists and generalists. These varying degrees in host specificities translated into a moderate level of network specificity, highlighting the system's level of biotic pluralism in terms of biodiversity and interaction diversity. By providing vouchered DNA barcodes for army ant guest species, this study provides a baseline for future work on co-evolutionary and ecological dynamics in these species-rich host-symbiont networks across the Neotropical realm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph von Beeren
- Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.,Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Nico Blüthgen
- Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Philipp O Hoenle
- Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Sebastian Pohl
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Adrian Brückner
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Alexey K Tishechkin
- California Department of Food and Agriculture, Plant Pest Diagnostics Center, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | | | - Brian V Brown
- Entomology Section, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - John M Hash
- Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
| | - W E Hall
- University of Arizona Insect Collection, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Daniel J C Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York City, NY, USA
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Parmentier T, Claus R, De Laender F, Bonte D. Moving apart together: co-movement of a symbiont community and their ant host, and its importance for community assembly. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2021; 9:25. [PMID: 34020716 PMCID: PMC8140472 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-021-00259-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Species interactions may affect spatial dynamics when the movement of one species is determined by the presence of another one. The most direct species-dependence of dispersal is vectored, usually cross-kingdom, movement of immobile parasites, diseases or seeds by mobile animals. Joint movements of species should, however, not be vectored by definition, as even mobile species are predicted to move together when they are tightly connected in symbiont communities. METHODS We studied concerted movements in a diverse and heterogeneous community of arthropods (myrmecophiles) associated with red wood ants. We questioned whether joint-movement strategies eventually determine and speed-up community succession. RESULTS We recorded an astonishingly high number of obligate myrmecophiles outside red wood ant nests. They preferentially co-moved with the host ants as the highest densities were found in locations with the highest density of foraging red wood ants, such as along the network of ant trails. These observations suggest that myrmecophiles resort to the host to move away from the nest, and this to a much higher extent than hitherto anticipated. Interestingly, functional groups of symbionts displayed different dispersal kernels, with predatory myrmecophiles moving more frequently and further from the nest than detritivorous myrmecophiles. We discovered that myrmecophile diversity was lower in newly founded nests than in mature red wood ant nests. Most myrmecophiles, however, were able to colonize new nests fast suggesting that the heterogeneity in mobility does not affect community assembly. CONCLUSIONS We show that co-movement is not restricted to tight parasitic, or cross-kingdom interactions. Movement in social insect symbiont communities may be heterogeneous and functional group-dependent, but clearly affected by host movement. Ultimately, this co-movement leads to directional movement and allows a fast colonisation of new patches, but not in a predictable way. This study highlights the importance of spatial dynamics of local and regional networks in symbiont metacommunities, of which those of symbionts of social insects are prime examples.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Parmentier
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit (TEREC), Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium.
- Research Unit of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Namur Institute of Complex Systems, and Institute of Life, Earth, and the Environment, University of Namur, Rue de Bruxelles 61, 5000, Namur, Belgium.
| | - R Claus
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit (TEREC), Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - F De Laender
- Research Unit of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Namur Institute of Complex Systems, and Institute of Life, Earth, and the Environment, University of Namur, Rue de Bruxelles 61, 5000, Namur, Belgium
| | - D Bonte
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit (TEREC), Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium
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A Phylogeny-Informed Analysis of the Global Coral-Symbiodiniaceae Interaction Network Reveals that Traits Correlated with Thermal Bleaching Are Specific to Symbiont Transmission Mode. mSystems 2021; 6:6/3/e00266-21. [PMID: 33947806 PMCID: PMC8269218 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00266-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The complex network of associations between corals and their dinoflagellates (family Symbiodiniaceae) are the basis of coral reef ecosystems but are sensitive to increasing global temperatures. Coral-symbiont interactions are restricted by ecological and evolutionary determinants that constrain partner choice and influence holobiont response to environmental stress; however, little is known about how these processes shape thermal resilience of the holobiont. Here, we built a network of global coral-Symbiodiniaceae associations, mapped species traits (e.g., symbiont transmission mode and biogeography) and phylogenetic relationships of both partners onto the network, and assigned thermotolerance to both host and symbiont nodes. Using network analysis and phylogenetic comparative methods, we determined the contribution of species traits to thermal resilience of the holobiont, while accounting for evolutionary patterns among species. We found that the network shows nonrandom interactions among species, which are shaped by evolutionary history, symbiont transmission mode (horizontally transmitted [HT] or vertically transmitted [VT] corals) and biogeography. Coral phylogeny, but not Symbiodiniaceae phylogeny, symbiont transmission mode, or biogeography, was a good predictor of thermal resilience. Closely related corals have similar Symbiodiniaceae interaction patterns and bleaching susceptibilities. Nevertheless, the association patterns that explain increased host thermal resilience are not generalizable across the entire network but are instead unique to HT and VT corals. Under nonstress conditions, thermally resilient VT coral species associate with thermotolerant phylotypes and limit their number of unique symbionts and overall symbiont thermotolerance diversity, while thermally resilient HT coral species associate with a few host-specific symbiont phylotypes. IMPORTANCE Recent advances have revealed a complex network of interactions between coral and Symbiodiniaceae. Specifically, nonrandom association patterns, which are determined in part by restrictions imposed by symbiont transmission mode, increase the sensitivity of the overall network to thermal stress. However, little is known about the extent to which coral-Symbiodiniaceae network resistance to thermal stress is shaped by host and symbiont species phylogenetic relationships and host and symbiont species traits, such as symbiont transmission mode. We built a frequency-weighted global coral-Symbiodiniaceae network and used network analysis and phylogenetic comparative methods to show that evolutionary relatedness, but not transmission mode, predicts thermal resilience of the coral-Symbiodiniaceae holobiont. Consequently, thermal stress events could result in nonrandom pruning of susceptible lineages and loss of taxonomic diversity with catastrophic effects on community resilience to future events. Our results show that inclusion of the contribution of evolutionary and ecological processes will further our understanding of the fate of coral assemblages under climate change.
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11
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Scarparo G, Rugman-Jones P, Gebiola M, Giulio AD, McFrederick QS. First screening of bacterial communities of Microdon myrmicae and its ant host: do microbes facilitate the invasion of ant colonies by social parasites? Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2020.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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12
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Harris SA, Savage AM. Observations of Snakes Associated With Active Nests of Allegheny Mound Ant (Formica exsectoides) in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Northeast Nat (Steuben) 2020. [DOI: 10.1656/045.027.0317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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13
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Parmentier T, De Laender F, Bonte D. The topology and drivers of ant-symbiont networks across Europe. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:1664-1688. [PMID: 32691527 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Intimate associations between different species drive community composition across ecosystems. Understanding the ecological and evolutionary drivers of these symbiotic associations is challenging because their structure eventually determines stability and resilience of the entire species network. Here, we compiled a detailed database on naturally occurring ant-symbiont networks in Europe to identify factors that affect symbiont network topology. These networks host an unrivalled diversity of macrosymbiotic associations, spanning the entire mutualism-antagonism continuum, including: (i) myrmecophiles - commensalistic and parasitic arthropods; (ii) trophobionts - mutualistic aphids, scale insects, planthoppers and caterpillars; (iii) social parasites - parasitic ant species; (iv) parasitic helminths; and (v) parasitic fungi. We dissected network topology to investigate what determines host specificity, symbiont species richness, and the capacity of different symbiont types to switch hosts. We found 722 macrosymbionts (multicellular symbionts) associated with European ants. Symbiont type explained host specificity and the average relatedness of the host species. Social parasites were associated with few hosts that were phylogenetically highly related, whereas the other symbiont types interacted with a larger number of hosts across a wider taxonomic distribution. The hosts of trophobionts were the least phylogenetically related across all symbiont types. Colony size, host range and habitat type predicted total symbiont richness: ant hosts with larger colony size, a larger distribution range or with a wider habitat range contained more symbiont species. However, we found that different sets of host factors affected diversity in the different types of symbionts. Ecological factors, such as colony size, host range and niche width predominantly determined myrmecophile species richness, whereas host phylogeny was the most important predictor of mutualistic trophobiont, social parasite and parasitic helminth species richness. Lastly, we found that hosts with a common biogeographic history support a more similar community of symbionts. Phylogenetically related hosts also shared more trophobionts, social parasites and helminths, but not myrmecophiles. Taken together, these results suggest that ecological and evolutionary processes structure host specificity and symbiont richness in large-scale ant-symbiont networks, but these drivers may shift in importance depending on the type of symbiosis. Our findings highlight the potential of well-characterized bipartite networks composed of different types of symbioses to identify candidate processes driving community composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Parmentier
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit (TEREC), Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, B-9000, Belgium.,Research Unit of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Namur Institute of Complex Systems, and Institute of Life, Earth, and the Environment, University of Namur, Namur, 5000, Belgium
| | - Frederik De Laender
- Research Unit of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Namur Institute of Complex Systems, and Institute of Life, Earth, and the Environment, University of Namur, Namur, 5000, Belgium
| | - Dries Bonte
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit (TEREC), Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, B-9000, Belgium
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Swain TD, Lax S, Backman V, Marcelino LA. Uncovering the role of Symbiodiniaceae assemblage composition and abundance in coral bleaching response by minimizing sampling and evolutionary biases. BMC Microbiol 2020; 20:124. [PMID: 32429833 PMCID: PMC7236918 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-020-01765-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Biodiversity and productivity of coral-reef ecosystems depend upon reef-building corals and their associations with endosymbiotic Symbiodiniaceae, which offer diverse functional capabilities to their hosts. The number of unique symbiotic partners (richness) and relative abundances (evenness) have been hypothesized to affect host response to climate change induced thermal stress. Symbiodiniaceae assemblages with many unique phylotypes may provide greater physiological flexibility or form less stable symbioses; assemblages with low abundance phylotypes may allow corals to retain thermotolerant symbionts or represent associations with less-suitable symbionts. RESULTS Here we demonstrate that true richness of Symbiodiniaceae phylotype assemblages is generally not discoverable from direct enumeration of unique phylotypes in association records and that cross host-species comparisons are biased by sampling and evolutionary patterns among species. These biases can be minimized through rarefaction of richness (rarefied-richness) and evenness (Probability of Interspecific Encounter, PIE), and analyses that account for phylogenetic patterns. These standardized metrics were calculated for individual Symbiodiniaceae assemblages composed of 377 unique ITS2 phylotypes associated with 123 coral species. Rarefied-richness minimized correlations with sampling effort, while maintaining important underlying characteristics across host bathymetry and geography. Phylogenetic comparative methods reveal significant increases in coral bleaching and mortality associated with increasing Symbiodiniaceae assemblage richness and evenness at the level of host species. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that the potential flexibility afforded by assemblages characterized by many phylotypes present at similar relative abundances does not result in decreased bleaching risk and point to the need to characterize the overall functional and genetic diversity of Symbiodiniaceae assemblages to quantify their effect on host fitness under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy D Swain
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
- Department of Marine and Environmental Science, Nova Southeastern University, Dania Beach, FL, 33004, USA
| | - Simon Lax
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Physics of Living Systems, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Vadim Backman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Luisa A Marcelino
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA.
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15
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Sanchez JA, López-Gallego E, La-Spina M. The impact of ant mutualistic and antagonistic interactions on the population dynamics of sap-sucking hemipterans in pear orchards. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2020; 76:1422-1434. [PMID: 31628776 DOI: 10.1002/ps.5655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Revised: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ants are known to establish antagonistic and mutualistic interactions with honeydew-producing hemipterans, depending on the species involved and the ecological context. The aim of this work was to infer the role that such interactions play in the population dynamics of psyllids and aphids in pear orchards. Interactions were inferred from field data and periodical sampling along a 4-year study, and from interaction assays performed under controlled conditions. RESULTS A decline in the abundance of the pear psyllid (Cacopsylla pyri L.), parallel to an increase in the abundance of aphids, was registered over 4 years. Ants were the dominant species, representing about 90% of the predators, followed by spiders and predatory hemipterans (namely Pilophorus gallicus Remane). Ant abundance increased over the 4 years, matching the population dynamics of aphids. Evidence of mutualistic and antagonistic interactions were found for ant-aphid and ant-psyllid, respectively: (i) ant-aphid abundances on pear trees were positively correlated, and ants reduced predation on aphids by generalist predators, and (ii) ant-psyllid abundances were negatively correlated, ants have a negative effect on the psyllid population growth rates, and ants were found to prey on the psyllid. CONCLUSIONS Because of their high abundance in comparison with other predators and the mutualistic-antagonistic relationships with aphids-psyllids, ants are considered to be the principal force behind the decline of pear psyllid populations and the increase in aphid numbers. In summary, ants contribute positively to biological control by the suppresion of pests (i.e. the psyllid) which are more damaging than those they protect (i.e. aphids). © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan A Sanchez
- Biological Control and Ecosystem Services Laboratory, Instituto Murciano de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDA), Murcia, Spain
| | - Elena López-Gallego
- Biological Control and Ecosystem Services Laboratory, Instituto Murciano de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDA), Murcia, Spain
| | - Michelangelo La-Spina
- Biological Control and Ecosystem Services Laboratory, Instituto Murciano de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDA), Murcia, Spain
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16
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Adams RMM, Wells RL, Yanoviak SP, Frost CJ, Fox EGP. Interspecific Eavesdropping on Ant Chemical Communication. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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17
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Fornoff F, Klein AM, Blüthgen N, Staab M. Tree diversity increases robustness of multi-trophic interactions. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 286:20182399. [PMID: 30836869 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Multi-trophic interactions maintain critical ecosystem functions. Biodiversity is declining globally, while responses of trophic interactions to biodiversity change are largely unclear. Thus, studying responses of multi-trophic interaction robustness to biodiversity change is crucial for understanding ecosystem functioning and persistence. We investigate plant-Hemiptera (antagonism) and Hemiptera-ant (mutualism) interaction networks in response to experimental manipulation of tree diversity. We show increased diversity at both higher trophic levels (Hemiptera and ants) and increased robustness through redundancy of lower level species of multi-trophic interactions when tree diversity increased. Hemiptera and ant diversity increased with tree diversity through non-additive diversity effects. Network analyses identified that tree diversity also increased the number of tree and Hemiptera species used by Hemiptera and ant species, and decreased the specialization on lower trophic level species in both mutualistic and antagonist interactions. Our results demonstrate that bottom-up effects of tree diversity ascend through trophic levels regardless of interaction type. Thus, local tree diversity is a key driver of multi-trophic community diversity and interaction robustness in forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Fornoff
- 1 Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg , Tennenbacherstraße 4, 79196 Freiburg , Germany
| | - Alexandra-Maria Klein
- 1 Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg , Tennenbacherstraße 4, 79196 Freiburg , Germany
| | - Nico Blüthgen
- 2 Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt , Schnittspahnstraße 3, 64287 Darmstadt , Germany
| | - Michael Staab
- 1 Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg , Tennenbacherstraße 4, 79196 Freiburg , Germany
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18
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Picot A, Monnin T, Loeuille N. From apparent competition to facilitation: Impacts of consumer niche construction on the coexistence and stability of consumer‐resource communities. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Aurore Picot
- Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Est Créteil, Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, INRA, IRD, iEES Paris France
| | - Thibaud Monnin
- Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Est Créteil, Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, INRA, IRD, iEES Paris France
| | - Nicolas Loeuille
- Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Est Créteil, Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, INRA, IRD, iEES Paris France
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19
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Hoenle PO, Blüthgen N, Brückner A, Kronauer DJC, Fiala B, Donoso DA, Smith MA, Ospina Jara B, von Beeren C. Species-level predation network uncovers high prey specificity in a Neotropical army ant community. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:2423-2440. [PMID: 31050080 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Army ants are among the top arthropod predators and considered keystone species in tropical ecosystems. During daily mass raids with many thousand workers, army ants hunt live prey, likely exerting strong top-down control on prey species. Many tropical sites exhibit a high army ant species diversity (>20 species), suggesting that sympatric species partition the available prey niches. However, whether and to what extent this is achieved has not been intensively studied yet. We therefore conducted a large-scale diet survey of a community of surface-raiding army ants at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. We systematically collected 3,262 prey items from eleven army ant species (genera Eciton, Nomamyrmex and Neivamyrmex). Prey items were classified as ant prey or non-ant prey. The prey nearly exclusively consisted of other ants (98%), and most booty was ant brood (87%). Using morphological characters and DNA barcoding, we identified a total of 1,103 ant prey specimens to the species level. One hundred twenty-nine ant species were detected among the army ant prey, representing about 30% of the known local ant diversity. Using weighted bipartite network analyses, we show that prey specialization in army ants is unexpectedly high and prey niche overlap very small. Besides food niche differentiation, we uncovered a spatiotemporal niche differentiation in army ant raid activity. We discuss competition-driven multidimensional niche differentiation and predator-prey arms races as possible mechanisms underlying prey specialization in army ants. By combining systematic prey sampling with species-level prey identification and network analyses, our integrative approach can guide future research by portraying how predator-prey interactions in complex communities can be reliably studied, even in cases where morphological prey identification is infeasible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp O Hoenle
- Ecological Networks, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.,Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Nico Blüthgen
- Ecological Networks, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Adrian Brückner
- Ecological Networks, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.,Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Daniel J C Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York City, New York
| | - Brigitte Fiala
- Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - David A Donoso
- Departamento de Biología, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador
| | - M Alex Smith
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Christoph von Beeren
- Ecological Networks, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
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20
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Doña J, Serrano D, Mironov S, Montesinos-Navarro A, Jovani R. Unexpected bird-feather mite associations revealed by DNA metabarcoding uncovers a dynamic ecoevolutionary scenario. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:379-390. [PMID: 30536745 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The high relevance of host-switching for the diversification of highly host-specific symbionts (i.e., those commonly inhabiting a single host species) demands a better understanding of host-switching dynamics at an ecological scale. Here, we used DNA metabarcoding to study feather mites on passerine birds in Spain, sequencing mtDNA (COI) for 25,540 individual mites (representing 64 species) from 1,130 birds (representing 71 species). Surprisingly, 1,228 (4.8%) mites from 84 (7.4%) birds were found on host species that were not the expected to be a host according to a recent bird-feather mite associations catalog. Unexpected associations were widespread across studied mite (40.6%) and bird (43.7%) species and showed smaller average infrapopulation sizes than typical associations. Unexpected mite species colonized hosts being distantly related to the set of their usual hosts, but with similar body size. The network of bird-mite associations was modular (i.e., some groups of bird and mite species tended to be more associated with each other than with the others), with 75.9% of the unexpected associations appearing within the module of the typical hosts of the mite species. Lastly, 68.4% of mite species found on unexpected hosts showed signatures of genetic differentiation, and we found evidence for reproduction or the potential for it in many of the unexpected associations. Results show host colonization as a common phenomenon even for these putatively highly host-specific symbionts. Thus, host-switching by feather mites, rather than a rare phenomenon, appears as a relatively frequent phenomenon shaped by ecological filters such as host morphology and is revealed as a fundamental component for a dynamic coevolutionary and codiversification scenario.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Doña
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - David Serrano
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Sergey Mironov
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya Embankment 1, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Alicia Montesinos-Navarro
- Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CSIC-UV-GV), Carretera Moncada-Náquera, Valencia, Spain
| | - Roger Jovani
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
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21
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Borrett SR, Sheble L, Moody J, Anway EC. Bibliometric review of ecological network analysis: 2010–2016. Ecol Modell 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2018.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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22
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Brückner A, Hoenle PO, von Beeren C. Comparative chemical analysis of army ant mandibular gland volatiles (Formicidae: Dorylinae). PeerJ 2018; 6:e5319. [PMID: 30038876 PMCID: PMC6052855 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Army ants are keystone species in many tropical ecosystems. Yet, little is known about the chemical compounds involved in army ant communication. In the present study, we analyzed the volatile mandibular gland secretions—triggers of ant alarm responses—of six Neotropical army ant species of the genus Eciton (outgroup: Nomamyrmex esenbeckii). Using solid-phase microextraction, we identified 12 chemical compounds, primarily ketones with associated alcohols, one ester and skatole. Most compounds were shared among species, but their relative composition was significantly different. By comparing chemical distances of mandibular gland secretions to species divergence times, we showed that the secretions’ compositions are not strictly determined by phylogeny. By identifying chemical bouquets of seven army ant species, our study provides a valuable comparative resource for future studies aiming to unveil the chemicals’ precise role in army ant alarm communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Brückner
- Ecological Networks, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.,Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Philipp O Hoenle
- Ecological Networks, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
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23
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Cao HX, Klein AM, Zhu C, Staab M, Durka W, Fischer M, Fornoff F. Intra- and interspecific tree diversity promotes multitrophic plant–Hemiptera–ant interactions in a forest diversity experiment. Basic Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2018.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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24
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Jacobsen RM, Sverdrup-Thygeson A, Kauserud H, Birkemoe T. Revealing hidden insect-fungus interactions; moderately specialized, modular and anti-nested detritivore networks. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2017.2833. [PMID: 29618548 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological networks are composed of interacting communities that influence ecosystem structure and function. Fungi are the driving force for ecosystem processes such as decomposition and carbon sequestration in terrestrial habitats, and are strongly influenced by interactions with invertebrates. Yet, interactions in detritivore communities have rarely been considered from a network perspective. In the present study, we analyse the interaction networks between three functional guilds of fungi and insects sampled from dead wood. Using DNA metabarcoding to identify fungi, we reveal a diversity of interactions differing in specificity in the detritivore networks, involving three guilds of fungi. Plant pathogenic fungi were relatively unspecialized in their interactions with insects inhabiting dead wood, while interactions between the insects and wood-decay fungi exhibited the highest degree of specialization, which was similar to estimates for animal-mediated seed dispersal networks in previous studies. The low degree of specialization for insect symbiont fungi was unexpected. In general, the pooled insect-fungus networks were significantly more specialized, more modular and less nested than randomized networks. Thus, the detritivore networks had an unusual anti-nested structure. Future studies might corroborate whether this is a common aspect of networks based on interactions with fungi, possibly owing to their often intense competition for substrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rannveig M Jacobsen
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Høgskoleveien 12, 1433 Ås, Norway .,The Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Gaustadalléen 21, 0349 Oslo, Norway
| | - Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Høgskoleveien 12, 1433 Ås, Norway
| | - Håvard Kauserud
- Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology (EVOGENE), University of Oslo, Blindernveien 31, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Tone Birkemoe
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Høgskoleveien 12, 1433 Ås, Norway
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25
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von Beeren C, Brückner A, Maruyama M, Burke G, Wieschollek J, Kronauer DJC. Chemical and behavioral integration of army ant-associated rove beetles - a comparison between specialists and generalists. Front Zool 2018; 15:8. [PMID: 29568316 PMCID: PMC5857133 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-018-0249-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Host-symbiont interactions are embedded in ecological communities and range from unspecific to highly specific relationships. Army ants and their arthropod guests represent a fascinating example of species-rich host-symbiont associations where host specificity ranges across the entire generalist - specialist continuum. In the present study, we compared the behavioral and chemical integration mechanisms of two extremes of the generalist - specialist continuum: generalist ant-predators in the genus Tetradonia (Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Athetini), and specialist ant-mimics in the genera Ecitomorpha and Ecitophya (Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Ecitocharini). Similar to a previous study of Tetradonia beetles, we combined DNA barcoding with morphological studies to define species boundaries in ant-mimicking beetles. This approach found four ant-mimicking species at our study site at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. Community sampling of Eciton army ant parasites revealed that ant-mimicking beetles were perfect host specialists, each beetle species being associated with a single Eciton species. These specialists were seamlessly integrated into the host colony, while generalists avoided physical contact to host ants in behavioral assays. Analysis of the ants' nestmate recognition cues, i.e. cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), showed close similarity in CHC composition and CHC concentration between specialists and Eciton burchellii foreli host ants. On the contrary, the chemical profiles of generalists matched host profiles less well, indicating that high accuracy in chemical host resemblance is only accomplished by socially integrated species. Considering the interplay between behavior, morphology, and cuticular chemistry, specialists but not generalists have cracked the ants' social code with respect to various sensory modalities. Our results support the long-standing idea that the evolution of host-specialization in parasites is a trade-off between the range of potential host species and the level of specialization on any particular host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph von Beeren
- 1Ecological Networks, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany.,2Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | - Adrian Brückner
- 1Ecological Networks, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | | | - Griffin Burke
- 2Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065 USA.,4Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504 USA
| | - Jana Wieschollek
- 1Ecological Networks, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Daniel J C Kronauer
- 2Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065 USA
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26
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Ivens ABF, Gadau A, Kiers ET, Kronauer DJC. Can social partnerships influence the microbiome? Insights from ant farmers and their trophobiont mutualists. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:1898-1914. [PMID: 29411455 PMCID: PMC5935579 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Revised: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Mutualistic interactions with microbes have played a crucial role in the evolution and ecology of animal hosts. However, it is unclear what factors are most important in influencing particular host–microbe associations. While closely related animal species may have more similar microbiota than distantly related species due to phylogenetic contingencies, social partnerships with other organisms, such as those in which one animal farms another, may also influence an organism's symbiotic microbiome. We studied a mutualistic network of Brachymyrmex and Lasius ants farming several honeydew‐producing Prociphilus aphids and Rhizoecus mealybugs to test whether the mutualistic microbiomes of these interacting insects are primarily correlated with their phylogeny or with their shared social partnerships. Our results confirm a phylogenetic signal in the microbiomes of aphid and mealybug trophobionts, with each species harbouring species‐specific endosymbiont strains of Buchnera (aphids), Tremblaya and Sodalis (mealybugs), and Serratia (both mealybugs and aphids) despite being farmed by the same ants. This is likely explained by strict vertical transmission of trophobiont endosymbionts between generations. In contrast, our results show the ants’ microbiome is possibly shaped by their social partnerships, with ants that farm the same trophobionts also sharing strains of sugar‐processing Acetobacteraceae bacteria, known from other honeydew‐feeding ants and which likely reside extracellularly in the ants’ guts. These ant–microbe associations are arguably more “open” and subject to horizontal transmission or social transmission within ant colonies. These findings suggest that the role of social partnerships in shaping a host's symbiotic microbiome can be variable and is likely dependent on how the microbes are transmitted across generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aniek B F Ivens
- Animal Ecology Section, Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alice Gadau
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - E Toby Kiers
- Animal Ecology Section, Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel J C Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
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27
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Trogisch S, Schuldt A, Bauhus J, Blum JA, Both S, Buscot F, Castro-Izaguirre N, Chesters D, Durka W, Eichenberg D, Erfmeier A, Fischer M, Geißler C, Germany MS, Goebes P, Gutknecht J, Hahn CZ, Haider S, Härdtle W, He JS, Hector A, Hönig L, Huang Y, Klein AM, Kühn P, Kunz M, Leppert KN, Li Y, Liu X, Niklaus PA, Pei Z, Pietsch KA, Prinz R, Proß T, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schmidt K, Scholten T, Seitz S, Song Z, Staab M, von Oheimb G, Weißbecker C, Welk E, Wirth C, Wubet T, Yang B, Yang X, Zhu CD, Schmid B, Ma K, Bruelheide H. Toward a methodical framework for comprehensively assessing forest multifunctionality. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:10652-10674. [PMID: 29299246 PMCID: PMC5743643 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2017] [Revised: 08/27/2017] [Accepted: 09/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) research has extended its scope from communities that are short-lived or reshape their structure annually to structurally complex forest ecosystems. The establishment of tree diversity experiments poses specific methodological challenges for assessing the multiple functions provided by forest ecosystems. In particular, methodological inconsistencies and nonstandardized protocols impede the analysis of multifunctionality within, and comparability across the increasing number of tree diversity experiments. By providing an overview on key methods currently applied in one of the largest forest biodiversity experiments, we show how methods differing in scale and simplicity can be combined to retrieve consistent data allowing novel insights into forest ecosystem functioning. Furthermore, we discuss and develop recommendations for the integration and transferability of diverse methodical approaches to present and future forest biodiversity experiments. We identified four principles that should guide basic decisions concerning method selection for tree diversity experiments and forest BEF research: (1) method selection should be directed toward maximizing data density to increase the number of measured variables in each plot. (2) Methods should cover all relevant scales of the experiment to consider scale dependencies of biodiversity effects. (3) The same variable should be evaluated with the same method across space and time for adequate larger-scale and longer-time data analysis and to reduce errors due to changing measurement protocols. (4) Standardized, practical and rapid methods for assessing biodiversity and ecosystem functions should be promoted to increase comparability among forest BEF experiments. We demonstrate that currently available methods provide us with a sophisticated toolbox to improve a synergistic understanding of forest multifunctionality. However, these methods require further adjustment to the specific requirements of structurally complex and long-lived forest ecosystems. By applying methods connecting relevant scales, trophic levels, and above- and belowground ecosystem compartments, knowledge gain from large tree diversity experiments can be optimized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Trogisch
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - Andreas Schuldt
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - Jürgen Bauhus
- Chair of Silviculture Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
| | - Juliet A Blum
- Institute of Plant Sciences University of Bern Bern Switzerland
| | - Sabine Both
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
| | - François Buscot
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany.,Department of Soil Ecology Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ Halle (Saale) Germany
| | - Nadia Castro-Izaguirre
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | | | - Walter Durka
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany.,Department of Community Ecology Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ Halle (Saale) Germany
| | - David Eichenberg
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany.,Institute of Biology University of Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - Alexandra Erfmeier
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany.,Institute for Ecosystem Research/Geobotany Kiel University Kiel Germany
| | - Markus Fischer
- Institute of Plant Sciences University of Bern Bern Switzerland
| | - Christian Geißler
- Institute of Geography, Soil Science and Geomorphology University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Markus S Germany
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany.,Institute for Ecosystem Research/Geobotany Kiel University Kiel Germany
| | - Philipp Goebes
- Institute of Geography, Soil Science and Geomorphology University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Jessica Gutknecht
- Department of Soil Ecology Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ Halle (Saale) Germany.,Department of Soil, Water, and Climate University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Saint Paul MN USA
| | - Christoph Zacharias Hahn
- Department of Community Ecology Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ Halle (Saale) Germany
| | - Sylvia Haider
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - Werner Härdtle
- Institute of Ecology Leuphana University of Lüneburg Lüneburg Germany
| | - Jin-Sheng He
- Department of Ecology College of Urban and Environmental Sciences Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education Peking University Beijing China
| | - Andy Hector
- Department of Plant Sciences University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | - Lydia Hönig
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany
| | - Yuanyuan Huang
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Alexandra-Maria Klein
- Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
| | - Peter Kühn
- Institute of Geography, Soil Science and Geomorphology University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Matthias Kunz
- Institute of General Ecology and Environmental Protection Technische Universität Dresden Tharandt Germany
| | - Katrin N Leppert
- Faculty of Biology University of Freiburg Geobotany, Freiburg Germany
| | - Ying Li
- Faculty of Soil and Water Conservation Beijing Forestry University Haidian District Beijing China
| | - Xiaojuan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Pascal A Niklaus
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Zhiqin Pei
- Department of Soil Ecology Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ Halle (Saale) Germany
| | | | - Ricarda Prinz
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany.,Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BIK-F) Frankfurt am Main Germany
| | - Tobias Proß
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | | | - Karsten Schmidt
- Institute of Geography, Soil Science and Geomorphology University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Thomas Scholten
- Institute of Geography, Soil Science and Geomorphology University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Steffen Seitz
- Institute of Geography, Soil Science and Geomorphology University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Zhengshan Song
- Institute of Geography, Soil Science and Geomorphology University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Michael Staab
- Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
| | - Goddert von Oheimb
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany.,Institute of General Ecology and Environmental Protection Technische Universität Dresden Tharandt Germany
| | - Christina Weißbecker
- Department of Soil Ecology Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ Halle (Saale) Germany
| | - Erik Welk
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - Christian Wirth
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany.,Institute of Biology University of Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - Tesfaye Wubet
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany.,Department of Soil Ecology Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ Halle (Saale) Germany
| | - Bo Yang
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany.,Key Laboratory of Speciality Plant Resources of Jiangxi Province Jingdezhen University Jingdezhen China
| | - Xuefei Yang
- Kunming Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming China
| | - Chao-Dong Zhu
- Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Keping Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany
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28
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Parmentier T, Vanderheyden A, Dekoninck W, Wenseleers T. Body size in the ant-associated isopod Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii is host-dependent. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blw052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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29
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Costa FV, Mello MAR, Bronstein JL, Guerra TJ, Muylaert RL, Leite AC, Neves FS. Few Ant Species Play a Central Role Linking Different Plant Resources in a Network in Rupestrian Grasslands. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0167161. [PMID: 27911919 PMCID: PMC5135051 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2016] [Accepted: 11/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Ant-plant associations are an outstanding model to study the entangled ecological interactions that structure communities. However, most studies of plant-animal networks focus on only one type of resource that mediates these interactions (e.g, nectar or fruits), leading to a biased understanding of community structure. New approaches, however, have made possible to study several interaction types simultaneously through multilayer networks models. Here, we use this approach to ask whether the structural patterns described to date for ant-plant networks hold when multiple interactions with plant-derived food rewards are considered. We tested whether networks characterized by different resource types differ in specialization and resource partitioning among ants, and whether the identity of the core ant species is similar among resource types. We monitored ant interactions with extrafloral nectaries, flowers, and fruits, as well as trophobiont hemipterans feeding on plants, for one year, in seven rupestrian grassland (campo rupestre) sites in southeastern Brazil. We found a highly tangled ant-plant network in which plants offering different resource types are connected by a few central ant species. The multilayer network had low modularity and specialization, but ant specialization and niche overlap differed according to the type of resource used. Beyond detecting structural differences across networks, our study demonstrates empirically that the core of most central ant species is similar across them. We suggest that foraging strategies of ant species, such as massive recruitment, may determine specialization and resource partitioning in ant-plant interactions. As this core of ant species is involved in multiple ecosystem functions, it may drive the diversity and evolution of the entire campo rupestre community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda V. Costa
- Graduate School in Ecology, Conservation, and Wildlife Management, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Marco A. R. Mello
- Graduate School in Ecology, Conservation, and Wildlife Management, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Judith L. Bronstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Tadeu J. Guerra
- Department of Botany, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Renata L. Muylaert
- Department of Ecology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alice C. Leite
- Graduate School in Ecology, Conservation, and Wildlife Management, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Frederico S. Neves
- Graduate School in Ecology, Conservation, and Wildlife Management, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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30
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von Beeren C, Maruyama M, Kronauer DJC. Community Sampling and Integrative Taxonomy Reveal New Species and Host Specificity in the Army Ant-Associated Beetle Genus Tetradonia (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae). PLoS One 2016; 11:e0165056. [PMID: 27829037 PMCID: PMC5102370 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2016] [Accepted: 09/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Army ant colonies host a diverse community of arthropod symbionts. Among the best-studied symbiont communities are those of Neotropical army ants of the genus Eciton. It is clear, however, that even in these comparatively well studied systems, a large proportion of symbiont biodiversity remains unknown. Even more striking is our lack of knowledge regarding the nature and specificity of these host-symbiont interactions. Here we surveyed the diversity and host specificity of rove beetles of the genus Tetradonia Wasmann, 1894 (Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae). Systematic community sampling of 58 colonies of the six local Eciton species at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica, combined with an integrative taxonomic approach, allowed us to uncover species diversity, host specificity, and co-occurrence patterns of symbionts in unprecedented detail. We used an integrative taxonomic approach combining morphological and genetic analyses, to delineate species boundaries. Mitochondrial DNA barcodes were analyzed for 362 Tetradonia specimens, and additional nuclear markers for a subset of 88 specimens. All analyses supported the presence of five Tetradonia species, including two species new to science. Host specificity is highly variable across species, ranging from generalists such as T. laticeps, which parasitizes all six local Eciton species, to specialists such as T. lizonae, which primarily parasitizes a single species, E. hamatum. Here we provide a dichotomous key along with diagnostic molecular characters for identification of Tetradonia species at La Selva Biological Station. By reliably assessing biodiversity and providing tools for species identification, we hope to set the baseline for future studies of the ecological and evolutionary dynamics in these species-rich host-symbiont networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph von Beeren
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, 10065, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Ecological Networks, Technical University Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | | | - Daniel J. C. Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, 10065, United States of America
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31
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von Beeren C, Maruyama M, Kronauer DJC. Cryptic diversity, high host specificity and reproductive synchronization in army ant-associated Vatesus beetles. Mol Ecol 2016; 25:990-1005. [PMID: 26618779 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2015] [Revised: 11/22/2015] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Army ants and their arthropod symbionts represent one of the most species-rich animal associations on Earth, and constitute a fascinating example of diverse host-symbiont interaction networks. However, despite decades of research, our knowledge of army ant symbionts remains fragmentary due to taxonomic ambiguity and the inability to study army ants in the laboratory. Here, we present an integrative approach that allows us to reliably determine species boundaries, assess biodiversity, match different developmental stages and sexes, and to study the life cycles of army ant symbionts. This approach is based on a combination of community sampling, DNA barcoding, morphology and physiology. As a test case, we applied this approach to the staphylinid beetle genus Vatesus and its different Eciton army ant host species at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. DNA barcoding led to the discovery of cryptic biodiversity and, in combination with extensive community sampling, revealed strict host partitioning with no overlap in host range. Using DNA barcoding, we were also able to match the larval stages of all focal Vatesus species. In combination with studies of female reproductive physiology, this allowed us to reconstruct almost the complete life cycles of the different beetle species. We show that Vatesus beetles are highly adapted to the symbiosis with army ants, in that their reproduction and larval development are synchronized with the stereotypical reproductive and behavioural cycles of their host colonies. Our approach can now be used to study army ant-symbiont communities more broadly, and to obtain novel insights into co-evolutionary and ecological dynamics in species-rich host-symbiont systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph von Beeren
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | | | - Daniel J C Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
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